Unexpected Trouble
by CelestialMystic
Summary: Brucas story! The imposter of Derek Summers uses Brooke to get back at Lucas for taking his Peyton away from him. What is Lucas's reaction? What happens to Brooke? How does it end? PLEASE PLEASE R&R!
1. The Abduction

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ONE TREE HILL, OR THE CHARACTERS FOR THAT MATTER.

Shivering in the cold night air, Brooke walked hurriedly back to her house. She was cold, alone, and pretty scared out of her wits. She didn't like the dark and she felt every hair on the back of her neck stand up as if someone was stalking her. As her feet trudged on the cemented pavement, she heard something behind her. She quickly turned around to see what it was, but all she saw was the dark staring back at her. _Oh, come on, there's nothing to be scared about. You're just being paranoid and imagining things_, she thought, trying to comfort herself.

She turned back around, and was surprised to see a blonde-haired man staring at her, smiling. Gasping, she took a step back. He didn't look all that dangerous and he also looked somewhat familiar.

"Whoa! You scared me! I thought you must've been a stalker or something," Brooke said, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"Oh no, I'm nothing of the sort…in fact, I'm Peyton's brother, Derek Summers. Remember? We met at that party and you kissed me to spite my sister because you thought I was her boyfriend," he said, holding out his hand. Brook smiled and shook it.

"Oh yeah! I remember you now! Sorry about that kiss. I was just trying to get back at Peyton. I'm sure that you're aware that I'm not on the best of terms with your sister. Has she ever told you why?" Brooke asked anxiously.

"Nope. Do you want her to?" he replied, still smiling that disturbing smile of his that showed all of his perfect, white teeth. Actually, Derek Summers _did_ know why Brooke and Peyton were mad at each other. It was because Peyton had "stolen" Lucas away from Brooke and kissed each other behind her back when Brooke and Lucas were a couple. _Always the same old story_, Derek thought to himself.

"No, no. That's ok. Nevermind," Brooke said, flustered that he apparently didn't know about her and Peyton. It was all over the school. She had loved Lucas and actually let him all the way into her heart. Not something that Brooke Davis would typically do for guys. At Hayley and Nathan's second wedding, he had told her about the kiss he had with Peyton, which left her devastated. So many emotions had roiled around inside of her: jealousy, hurt, relief, hope, shame, pity, envy, and anger. She couldn't sort them out right then. It was just too much for her to deal with. Her heart had shattered into millions of pieces, and she didn't know if she could patch it back together again.

"Ok. Well…would you like me to accompany you back to your house? I think you could use the company since you're so jumpy," Derek offered. Brooke nodded emphatically, glad to have someone with her to keep her company.

As they walked down the street to her white house, they conversed about what it was like at school, and what Derek did for a job. When they reached the door of Brooke's house, she paused and looked at him.

"Thanks. I really appreciate you walking with me," she said, thankful that they had reached her house.

"Oh, no problem! It was _most_ definitely my pleasure," He gazed at her lustfully, which seemed to look beyond her clothes.

Brooke blushed shyly and turned away, her dark brown hair covering her face to hide her uneasiness. She turned the doorknob to open the door, but was interrupted by the hard grip of Derek's hand on her upper arm. She could feel his nails biting into her sensitive skin and it hurt….a lot.

"Derek, let go! You're hurting me," she pleaded, trying to pull away from his hard, vice-like grip. He was really strong, making it impossible to get away. Brooke winced at the pain and looked into his light blue eyes. What she saw there made her recoil and look away.

"No…I don't think so. You see…..I won't let Lucas take away another pretty girl from me. If I can't have you, than he can't either," he spat angrily, his eyes shining with resentment, bitterness, and hatred for the one guy who stole "his" girl away.

"What?! What do you mean?!" Brook had no idea what he was talking about. She was unaware that 'Derek Summers' had actually been stalking Peyton. She did not know that he was not Derek at all, but someone else entirely. 'Derek' sighed impatiently and started dragging her back down the stairs to the sidewalk, where a black sedan was waiting across the street. She had not noticed it before.

Brooke squirmed and fought with all her strength, but still, he was too strong for her slight form. He kept dragging her until they reached the car. There, he threw her into the back seat, where he tied her hands and feet with rope. Then he put duct tape around her mouth so that her screams would not alert the neighbors. He closed the car door and jumped into the driver's seat. Looking back at Brooke, he smiled and said, "Oh, I just love doing this! Too bad pretty Lucas isn't here to save you. It's not like he would anyways, since he has Peyton now." Derek spat when he said Peyton's name, as if it were a curse. He turned around, turned on the ignition, and drove off into the dark.


	2. The Attic

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill, or it's characters.**

After a few minutes of driving and dead silence, 'Derek' turned back around to check up on Brooke. He smiled when he saw the glare on her face.

"You do know that Lucas pushed me out of a second story window, right? That's pretty far, you know," he said, pondering on what had happened that night when Peyton's real brother and Lucas had tackled him out the window. He still had some bruises, but, fortunately, they were healing. He turned back around to glance at the road.

Brooke just stared at the back of his blonde head blankly. Frankly, she didn't really care. I can't believe I kissed this repulsive stalker!, she thought to herself, disgusted, I'm so gullible! Stupid, stupid Brooke!

"Scared yet?" asked 'Derek'. He turned around to see her reply with a glare once again, "Well…you're going to be when we get to my house. I have a little surprise for you."

Brooke had to admit that she was scared. _What is he going to do with me_, she wondered worriedly.

The drive to 'Derek's' house took a pretty long time because he lived right outside of the city. When he pulled up into the driveway, Brooke glimpsed a dark red apartment that looked pretty decent, and pretty gloomy too. No lights were on that she could see through any of the windows. The apartment looked pretty much vacant. Once 'Derek' parked, he got out of the sedan and opened her side of the door, sliding her out of the seat and throwing her over his shoulder. This time, she didn't fight back, but instead, lay limp as he led her into his apartment.

They reached his apartment soon enough and as he unlocked his door, Brooke was wondering if anybody would rescue her, or if anyone actually cared to rescue her. Her parents probably didn't care since they never checked up on her in several years. Who else would? Lucas? No, probably not, because he has Peyton to care for and why would he care about her? He already proved to her who he loved most. It hurt to think about it, but Brooke tried to ignore it.

Once they got inside the apartment, 'Derek' continued to walk with Brooke over his strong shoulders to his attic. He had the topmost apartment and it cost him a fortune, but he never cared about money. His parents always lent him as much money as he wanted, so it didn't matter.

The attic contained a hard, white mattress that lay on the floor, a nightstand with a lamp on top, and a long metal chain. Brooke wrinkled her nose in disgust when she saw it. _This room totally needs to have a makeover,_ she thought.

'Derek' took her off his shoulder and held her wrist as he locked on the chains, which were connected to the attic wall. The chain was about 6 feet long, enough room for her to move around and lay on the bed comfortably.

"Now, no screaming for help or I'll have to gag you. Would you like that? No, I didn't think so," he said as he saw Brooke shake her head emphatically. "I'm going to be back with some dinner for you so sit tight." 'Derek' laughed at the irony and Brooke just glared daggers at him as he took off her gag and tape. "See ya," said 'Derek' as he opened the attic door. When he closed the door, Brooke let all of her roiling emotions that she had contained out and began to sob quietly.


	3. Guilt Eating Away At Me

**A/N: I know, I know! It sure takes me a long time to write these stories and they're probably not even worth the wait…but I try! I hope to make a better attempt on future chapters and I'm really SORRY!!!!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or One Tree Hill. That is Mark Schwann's doing**_.

**Back at Tree Hill High**

Lucas was walking toward his high school, thinking of Peyton and where they were going to go tonight: Tric. He felt that if he went there and acted like nothing was wrong, then maybe it would be real. The break-up that he had had with Brooke was devastating for him, and also made him feel quite guilty. He knew that he shouldn't have kissed Peyton, but he thought that she was going to die…_Yeah, of a gunshot to the __**ankle**_he thought, _Like that would've killed her._

As he walked on to meet Peyton at the front of the school, he shut all thoughts of Brooke from his mind and smiled at his girlfriend when he reached her.

"Hey, Lucas! Still going to Tric with me tonight, I hope?" she inquired, with a hopeful look on her face. She was excited to be able to finally go to Tric tonight, especially with her boyfriend.

"Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I?" Lucas replied, trying to evade her piercing gaze by not making eye contact. Instead, he looked at the different people passing by.

"Well, I just thought that maybe you didn't want to go because you haven't been feeling well lately…but if you feel better now, that's totally fine with me!" said Peyton, ecstatically, as they walked to their lockers, "We can go at 6:45 p.m. since I have to meet up with the band that's playing tonight."

When they got to class, Lucas sat at the desk located right next to Peyton's. He had a long day ahead of him.

**After School**

Lucas was slowly getting dressed for the party at Tric tonight. He was partly looking forward to it, and partly not. Deep down inside, he worried about Brooke. He hadn't seen her at school today, or the day before that. _Where can she be_, he wondered, _is it my fault that she's not here?_ _Maybe I'll see her at Tric, tonight. Hopefully, she'll be there and then I won't have to worry about her anymore._

He heard a knock at the door and hollered for the person to come in. It was Peyton.

"Dang, you look hot tonight, Lucas," Peyton exclaimed, giving him a once over, "Doing it for me, aren't ya?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied while he put on his jacket, "Let's go."

**Back at 'Derek's' House**

Brooke woke up, groggily, to a creaking sound. She looked at the door and saw 'Derek' peek his head through the crack. He slowly walked over to her and stopped right at the edge of her bed, just staring at her.

"Man, you're a beauty. I wonder why I went for Peyton instead of you. Thank God I changed tactics. This is going to be one hell of a night."

Brooke just gazed at him blankly, but inside, her mind was in a panic. She didn't know what to do, but just obey whatever he said for her to do. It made it easier on both of them. Maybe she would find a way to escape, just not yet.

"Come on. We're going to my bedroom this time. It's so much nicer than this crap-hole, eh?" he asked as he unlocked her from her chain.

After he was done, he pulled her to her feet. She stood up unsteadily and needed to hold his arm to keep her balance. 'Derek' took her hand and dragged her down the stairs to his bedroom.

Once they reached his room, Brooke hesitated and stopped. This made 'Derek' turn around to see what was wrong.

"I…I-I can't," cried Brooke, hoarsely. Tears started to roll down her cheeks and she was unable to stop them.

"Oh, you will, you will. Don't worry, you'll like it, and I will too…. definitely," replied 'Derek', and continued to pull her hand forcefully as they walked into his bedroom.

Brooke stood there as 'Derek' started to light the many candles in his master bedroom. Her eyes flitted across the room, trying to find a place to escape to, but she found none. There was only the bathroom door and the one behind her. Surely he would hurt her if she did try to escape. 'Derek' turned around when he finished lighting the candles and she could see the fiery passion in his eyes. He strode towards her, his eyes burning right through her, and when he got to the door where she stood, he put his hands on her waist, tightly and insistently, and kicked the door closed behind him.


	4. An Attempt at Escape

**Disclaimer I don't own One Tree Hill nor it's characters.**

To my readers I'm so sorry that it took so long for me to write this! I promise that future chapters will be longer, too. Sorry, once again!

**Tric**

Lucas wandered towards the bar, having nothing else to do. Peyton had gone to talk to the band members that were supposedly playing tonight. The bartender was a slim girl with blonde hair and chocolate eyes. She smiled at Lucas and asked him what he would like to drink.

"I think I'll have two Bud Lites, please," he responded, heavily. Ever since he had left the house, his thoughts constantly wandered back to Brooke and what had happened to her. It was getting serious now. Before, when they had entered Tric, he looked around for her but had no luck in finding the brunette. She would have been here, partying around with the guys and being the center of attention on the dance floor.

"Hey, Lucas. Why are you acting so broody," Peyton teased. His reaction was not what she expected.

"Why aren't you worried, Peyton?! I'm concerned about Brooke. Nobody has seen her for three days now." He began to run his hand through his hair, a sign of agitation.

"Fine, Lucas. If it'll make you happy, we'll go over to her house tonight and check up on her. I'm sure she'll be there eating her ice cream and watching those chick-flicks that she likes so much. She probably skipped school because she's sick and she didn't tell us so that we wouldn't worry. And that's what you shouldn't do, Lucas. You shouldn't worry." She took one of his Bud Lites, opened it, and took a sip. "Anyways, she's not your girlfriend anymore. I am," she stated, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Ok, sure, whatever, Peyton. As long as we find her there, I'll stop worrying," he replied tiredly. "But for now, I'm still uneasy about this." He walked away from his girlfriend and headed outside. Looking around the parking lot, his gaze got caught by a slender brunette walking towards her car. He began to run towards the girl and as he caught up to her, he grabbed her arm. "Brooke…" When the girl turned around to face him with a scared look, he could see that it wasn't his ex-girlfriend. She didn't look anything like her. Her eyes were blue and she was wearing glasses, definitely not one of Brooke's accessories.

"I-I'm sorry," Lucas apologized to the girl. "I thought that you were this girl that I knew." The girl just huffed, shook his hand off her arm, and walked away.

He walked back into the club and sat on one of the empty chairs littering the lounge. Sighing, he took another sip out of his beer and closed his eyes, waiting for the end of tonight's party.

'**Derek's' Apartment**

'Derek' pulled Brooke towards his bed insistently and began to laugh.

"My real name's Ian. It's a much sexier name than Derek, eh?" he said as he smirked.

Brooke's heart began to pound so hard that it began to ache. She pulled back against his unrelenting grip and shook her head. "Please, Ian. Don't do this," she pleaded.

"Why shouldn't I?" he replied, a hard glint to his eye. He pulled harder, the force of it causing Brooke to land right on her face. "Woops. Sorry?" Her body was racking with her distressed sobs.

"Come on. Get up!" Derek pulled her arm, causing her to shout in pain in between her sobs. She got up and he towed her towards the bed. He picked her up and threw her onto the bed. Brooke began to cry even harder, pleading for him not to do it. Ian ignored her pleas and started to unbuckle his belt. As he slipped that off, he unbuttoned his pants and let them slide to the floor. He got onto the bed and put his leg over Brooke's body so that he could crouch over all of her. He put his head near her face and licked her neck. Usually Brooke loved this kind of thing, but in this kind of situation with this kind of guy, it was more than disgusting. She put both hands on his shoulders and pushed as hard as she could.

"Get off of me, you sick bastard!" She scrambled off the bed and ran to the door that she has just entered.

"Oh no you don't, Brooke," Ian growled and leaped off the bed towards her running form. He caught her before she reached the door and grabbed her waist, hoisting her body up over his shoulder. Carrying her towards his bed once again, he dumped her onto the comforters and pinned her down with his powerful arms.

"You're not getting away this time, you little bitch," he snarled, his teeth bared. Brooke pounded his body with her fists, hitting him everywhere that she could reach. Ian ignored her punches and initiated in kissing her again. He put his mouth on her chin and began to suck. Brooke gagged and heaved in a breath. She punched harder, but it was no use, so instead, she bit his nose. He cried out in pain. "Son of a bitch!" And punched her in the face. Her face burned with the forceful contact of his fist and began to throb painfully. She knew it would leave a horrid bruise, but she could cover it up with just enough foundation. _What am I thinking_, she thought to herself, surprised.

Ian turned back towards Brooke's face and grimaced. "You'll regret that, little girl." He grabbed her face in between each of his hands, making it so that she couldn't move her face. He forced a hard kiss onto her mouth and sought to stick his tongue into her pursed lips. But she wouldn't let him. He began to run his hands down her body to her stomach and made swirls around her covered belly button. Brooke gasped, startled, which left an opening for his tongue. He stuck it hard into her mouth, tasting her. She choked on his saliva and tried pushing him off, but was unsuccessful. He was too heavy for her. His tongue began to explore the insides of her mouth. Brooke bit down hard on his tongue, resulting in his blood flooding into her mouth. The taste of blood and iron made Brooke spit the disgusting filth onto his face, right into his eyes. Ian screamed in agony from the pain in his mouth and the blood in his eyes.

Brooke crawled off the bed and attempted to escape again. This time, she made it to the door. She opened it silently, but quickly, and ran out. Adrenaline, along with the fear of his pursuit, poured into her bloodstream. She ran down the stairs, scrambled to open the front door, and stumbled out onto the street. She looked around her to see where she was exactly and decided to take a left. Hearing a thud of feet in the apartment, she ran as fast as she could down her chosen street. She was running for her life.


	5. A LifeDeath Situation

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill nor it's beautiful, and very intricate, characters.**

**This is for all my reviewers! Thank you so much for the lovely comments that you have written for me. I really appreciate it and hope that I live up to it! Thank you!**

**The Street**

Brooke looked over her shoulder to see if Ian was following her, but all she saw was the shadows of the buildings surrounding her.

She knew where she was going now. The street that she was on led to the crossroads where her house is located.

Panting in exertion, Brooke was tiring, fast. Her adrenaline had begun to fade away and was replaced by a growing hope in her rapidly beating heart.

When she reached the road on which her house was on, she felt a sweaty, and very bloody, hand cover her mouth. Another hand enclosed around both her wrists as he put it behind her back.

Ian bared his teeth in a feral smile. "Thought you could get away, did you?"

Brooke's screams were muffled, leaving the occupants of her neighborhood unaware of the danger that she was in.

**In the Car**

The party at Tric was finally over to Lucas's relief. He could finally go over to Brooke's house to see if she was really sick, like what Peyton had believed.

Sitting in the passenger seat was his girlfriend. She was looking out the window at the many buildings passing swiftly by.

Her thoughts were occupied by anxiety and concern. She was anxious about her relationship with Lucas and how well it would hold with him still worrying about his ex-girlfriend. She was concerned about her former best friend since she, too, hadn't seen or heard from her for three days.

As Lucas made a right on the street of Brooke's house, he saw two figures on the far end of the street. He squinted to see who it was, but it was too far to see for his vision.

"Peyton, look." He pointed to the two forms on the road.

Peyton turned her head to look through the front windshield. Her eyes widened as she saw what was happening in front of them.

"Oh my god! That guy's trying to rape a girl," she exclaimed in disbelief. _Call 911, dufus_, she reprimanded herself. She scrambled around in her purse to find her cell phone. Once she found it, she dialed in the number 9-1-1.

Lucas stepped on the pedal, causing the car to squeal indignantly. He leaned his head over the wheel, trying to get a closer look of who the girl was.

When they reached the commotion, he could finally see who the girl was. His heart stopped beating and his throat caught.

"Oh my god," he whispered to himself. "Brooke!!!" He forced his car door open and jumped out. "Get your hands off her, bastard!"

Ian just smirked at him. "Why should I," he called out, then pointed out. "When you stole my girl and put _your_ hands on her."

Her eyes shining with renewed hope, Brooke bit into his hand that was covering her mouth. His grip loosened enough for her to call out. "Lucas!"

"Bitch!" Ian clamped his hand even harder over her mouth, crushing her lush lips with his bloody hand. His other hand let go of her wrists and with it, he pulled out a gun and pointed the muzzle to her temple.

Brooke could feel the cold metal dig into her skin and whimpered in fear.

Lucas came to an immediate stop as he saw the blonde guy pull out his gun. Brooke's plea had torn his heart into shreds. He couldn't breathe. The girl he truly loved was in the hands of a stalker, and a killer.


	6. Promise Me

Sorry for the VERY long delay. School has been such a b lately. (Sorry for the profanity, but that justly describes how I feel about it).

"Brooke….I'm sorry," Luke whispered, his voice cracking.

Brooke's eyes shined with sympathy, tears, and fear.

Suddenly, a loud whirring siren sounded in the middle of the night, coming closer and closer.

Peyton got out of the car and smirked. "That would be the police."

Dereks' eyes darted back and forth between the empty road and Peyton and Lucas. Giving them both a snarl, he was just about to pull the trigger when Lucas pounced on the both of them.

"You…will not," Lucas breathed heavily, "hurt Brooke!" And with that, he punched Derek in the face as hard as he could while Brooke rolled away from the commotion, coughing and trying to regain her breath.

Derek pushed Lucas off with such force that Lucas fell onto the pavement, his head hitting the road with a smack.

"Luke!!!" Peyton screamed and she ran to him, not caring that she was endangering her life just then.

Derek picked up the gun where it had fallen and pointed it at Lucas and Peyton. He gave a sneer and spat, "This is for you, Peyton." Putting both hands on the gun, he pulled the trigger, but something, or someone flashed in between the gun and his victims. A loud crack sounded, ringing around the buildings as an echo. The sound of sirens got louder as the police arrived.

They immediately got out of their black and white cars and shouted, "Put the gun down! Now!"

Knowing he was outnumbered, Derek surrendered, putting the gun down onto the concrete road.

"Put your hands behind your back," one of the policemen ordered as he reached for his cuffs. Derek reluctantly did as he was told, but he didn't fight back. He knew itt was over, but he had gotten his revenge. The policeman led him to the car and put him inside, all the while giving the mandatory speech, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, do….."

"Brooke!!" Peyton shrieked when she saw what had come between them and the gun.

Brooke lay on the ground, face down and immobile.

Lucas winced in pain as he slowly got up. His head throbbed painfully but he could still clearly see Peyton crawling toward something that lay on the road. He squinted to get a better view and then he could see that this object had on a suede jacket, the one he had bought for her when he took her shopping on her birthday years ago. She still had it.

"No….NO!" Lucas got up quickly and ran towards the body. He fell down in a heap by her side and grabbed her shoulders, turning her around to face him. Her face was as beautiful as always, serene and angelic. The skin on her face was a pasty white, paler than she usually was. Lucas put a hand on her abdomen while he shook her, trying to make her wake up. "Please Brooke. Wake up! Please, do it….for me." Hot tears began to roll down his face, landing on her porcelain cheek. Brookes' eyes fluttered as she slowly opened them. "Broody?"

"Brooke! You're awake!" Lucas cried joyfully, his voice hoarse. Her hand reached up to caress his cheek but it immediately fell back to her side. Her energy was drained.

"Luc-c-a-s. I'm s-so-so c-c-cold," she stuttered, shivering in the cold night breeze. He took his hand from her abdomen and stroked her so cold cheek. As his hand came away, he could see blood dripping from his hands and on her cheek.

"Oh my God! Brooke, you're bleeding!" He looked to her abdomen and saw, horrified, that a huge red circle was blooming around her stomach and spilling out onto the road.

"Promise me you won't leave me," Brooke whispered weakly. Her hand found his as she squeezed it as hard as she could. "Promise."

"I-I promise," Lucas replied. And this time, he meant it.


	7. Note to My Readers

Yes, I know! I haven't updated since 3 years ago in 2007! WOW! It's been a while. Anyways, I'm updating you all on the story's status. I should be able to write more chapters this summer after all of my IB exams are over (which is throughout May) and I hope you have the patience to wait….I know haha you waited 3 years for this! And I think my future chapters should be better than my past ones, considering that I have more experience and years under me ^-^

AND

Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews! I look forward to more =D


	8. The Truth and the Lies

A bright light shone from the far end of the room. Brooke was in a daze, keeping her hand on the wall for support.

_What is this place?_ she wondered. "Hello?" she called out. "Is anybody there?" Her voice echoed all around the room.

Suddenly, a shadowed figure approached her from the opposite end. Brooke screamed and a deafening echo resounded within the room.

"It's ok, Brooke. It's only me," the shadowed figure replied. "Come here." He held out his arms and waited for her to come to him. Brooke hesitated but it sounded like Lucas's voice and she was overwhelmed by a sense of extreme loneliness and needed to feel the warmth that an embrace would offer. She ran into his arms and laid her head on his chest and started to cry.

"I don't know what's going on, Lucas. What is this place? Where are we?" The plaid shirt that the man was wearing was so soft against her cheek.

He began to caress her hair in a soothing gesture. "We're in a place where no one can bother us. Don't worry, Brooke, you're safe with me," he told her, trying to comfort her.

Wiping her eyes, she looked up into his face but it was shadowed. "Come here, into the light where I can see your face." She pulled his hand and led him towards the bright light.

The shadow began to recede, revealing a face that was all too familiar. "You! What are you doing here? What do you want from me?" she cried as she backed up against the wall. There was no escape.

Derek smirked, "I'm here to make all your worries go away, Brooke. Don't you want that? You can't have Lucas because he loves Peyton. What have you to live for?" He started to walk towards her.

"Don't you dare come near me!" Brooke could feel the bile making its way up her throat. She couldn't believe she let him touch her in such an intimate manner. She was a fool to believe that it was Lucas.

But Derek didn't relent. He continued to walk towards her until he stopped a few feet away from her face. "I've been wanting to do this for a long, long time." Pulling out his gun, he grinned and aimed it at her. "Bam," he murmured and pulled the trigger.

Brooke's eyes snapped open in alarm. Immediately she felt disoriented and her stomach lurched. She squeezed her eyes shut. Slowly, she opened her eyes again. Her heart was beating rapidly and adrenaline was rushing through her blood. She expected to see the bright lit room again but instead she saw a hospital room and she was lying in a bed, with an IV attached to her arm. To the right of her, she saw a wooden door and a window with the blinds closed. Her eyes traveled around the room until it reached a figure slouched in the couch next to her bed. His blond hair shone gold in the sunlight that was seeping through the window slits._ Lucas_, her eyes softened and she smiled.

His arms were crossed in front his chest and his long legs were spread out in front of him. _He looks so peaceful_, Brooke thought affectionately. _Like a little boy. _She didn't want to wake him so she stayed quiet and tried to remember what had happened and why she was in the hospital. As she turned to get into a more comfortable position, a string of fire traveled across her stomach. She let out a gasp of pain and winced as she gently laid a hand on her stomach.

"Brooke?" She turned her head to look at Lucas. He got up quickly from the couch and headed to her bedside. "What's wrong? Are you ok?"

"What happened," she rasped. Her throat felt parched and scratchy. Lucas handed her a cup of water with a straw "Here, drink this," he said. Brooke emptied the cup quickly for she found that she was extremely thirsty.

Lucas tucked her hair from her face gently. "Do you not remember what happened," he asked. Brooke shook her head. Flashes of images came up but they were too incoherent to put together logically.

"You got shot, Brooke. You saved us. Me and Peyton," he told her softly. Suddenly, the pieces came together and Brooke remembered what happened vividly. She remembered the force of the bullet as it hit her and the blood seeping from the wound. But the most clear memory was when Lucas looked at her, almost pleadingly, and promised her that he wouldn't leave her.

"Why'd you do it, Brooke? You could've died." She could see that he felt guilty so she intertwined her hand with his that was laying on the rail and squeezed it.

"Because I couldn't risk you getting hurt, Lucas. You're all I have." She squeezed her eyes shut and a tear slid down her face.

"Brooke…" Lucas leaned down and cupped her cheek in his hand. "I…"

The door suddenly opened and a nurse with a clipboard in her hand came in. Lucas hastily took his hand away , his face flushing red.

"I saw that, young man," the nurse reprimanded, waving her pen at him. Then she smiled at him. "Both of y'all remind me of when I was young and in love. It just brings back so many memories."

Brooke smiled at the nurse and said, "We're not dating. We're just friends."

"Oh! Oh my! I'm so sorry…I thought…Well nevermind. Old age always get the best of us," she chuckled. "Anyways, it's time for me to check on you, Ms. Davis. Let's see what we have here."

As the nurse checked on Brooke, Lucas decided that he needed some fresh air and excused himself. Brooke watched him leave and felt wretched.


End file.
